\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n\tDavid Rivkin, a Grammy-winning producer and engineer also known as David Z, has died at the age of 78. The influential studio veteran died on Sunday (Aug. 2) at a hospital in Burbank, Calif., due to complications from an infection, according to The <\/em>Minneapolis Star Tribune<\/em>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tDavid Z.\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tEtta James\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\tWidely regarded as one of the architects of the Minneapolis Sound, David Z played a pivotal role in launching rock icon Prince\u2018s career by producing his early demo recordings and engineering some of his early albums. His expertise also extended to work on Lipps Inc.\u2019s chart-topping \u201cFunkytown,\u201d which earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980. Additionally, David Z co-produced Fine Young Cannibals\u2019 \u201cShe Drives Me Crazy,\u201d which topped the Hot 100 in 1989 and earned a Grammy nomination for record of the year in 1990.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tFans Choose Ariana Grande’s ‘Petal’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tAriana Grande Taking a Break After Tour Amid Ongoing Public Scrutiny\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tMadonna Brings Out Kylie Minogue for ‘Love Sensation’ Performance at WorldPride Amsterdam\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\tThroughout his career, David Z collaborated with an extensive list of acclaimed artists, including Etta James, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and Al Green. He co-produced Jody Watley\u2019s No. 2 Hot 100 hit \u201cLooking for a New Love\u201d and her top 10 \u201cSome Kind of Lover,\u201d as well at top 10 hits on the Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs chart for Prince-affiliated artists The Family (\u201cScreams of Passion,\u201d No. 9 in 1985) and Sheila E (\u201cHold Me,\u201d No. 3 in 1987), among others. His work behind the boards earned him a Grammy Award in 2005 for his production on James\u2019 Blues to the Bone <\/em>album, solidifying his reputation as one of the most respected producers to emerge from Minnesota\u2019s music scene.<\/p>\n \n\tIn the statement announcing his passing, David Z\u2019s brother, Bobby Z \u2014 drummer for Prince & The Revolution \u2014 remembered the producer as a fearless innovator in the studio, recalling his unconventional approach to recording and describing him as a \u201ctrue rebel.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBeyond his technical experience, David Z\u2019s influence stretched across generations of musicians, helping define the distinctive Minneapolis Sound that rose to international prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s. His production style and engineering techniques left a lasting imprint on funk, pop, rock, blues and soul recordings.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Minneapolis Sound Facebook page paid tribute to the late producer, writing, \u201cYou were an important and essential part of the Minneapolis Sound, David and we will always appreciate U.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDavid Z is survived by his brothers, Bobby Z and Stephen Rivkin, as well as his children and two grandchildren.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/music-news\/david-rivkin-death-david-z-producer-1236308315\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/david-z-minneapolis-1989-billboard-1800.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard David Rivkin, a Grammy-winning producer and engineer also known as David Z, has died at the age of 78. The influential studio veteran died on Sunday (Aug. 2) at a hospital in Burbank, Calif., due to complications from an infection, according to The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Explore David Z. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2075519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2075519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2075519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2075519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2075519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-billboard-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
![\"Ariana](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/press-image-2_@katiatemkin-e1777421684616.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"Ariana](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2255448169-e1781221098211.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"Madonna\"](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/madonna-press-2026-credit-Rafael-Pavarotti-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n